There is a constant battle between when or how one should prioritize their mental health. Teenagers especially, have faced these battles either alone, with a friend, or with a distinct family member. 

Mental health is a big factor for young adolescents and developing adults. There is a constant worry between finishing a homework assignment, studying for countless tests, and trying to maintain a healthy sleep schedule among other self-care activities. The expectations students have can overwhelm and cause a huge amount of stress. With that being said, there should be a time where one puts themselves first over the handful of demands of expectations reality has in store. 

According to clevelandclinic.org, a person’s original reaction to stress is anger and irritability, but also their body’s reaction to change. When one is incapable of handling an overwhelming amount of stress, it tends to damage one’s body and mind. The demand for change is crucial: it leads to a person implementing more self-care activities and taking necessary breaks when in need. 

There is a hefty amount of people who are stressed and overwhelmed. 

A survey was presented in mentalhealth.org, and around fifty- seven percent of young people felt so stressed in fear of making mistakes and they are unable to cope with it. When one notices the problems that cause the detrimental effects to their mental health, they should implement their self-care activities to their daily routines. It not only ensures a better mental health status for the individual, but allows one to inhabit new hobbies that are stress-relieving and it can reflect a positive mindset as well. 

Doing the things that bring a person joy is the best way to escape from reality, ensuring a break from a person’s busy life. Those can include reading a book, painting, or simply listening to music. The ability that a hobby has with a person’s mental health can reduce poor self-care, or in some cases mental breakdowns or anxiety attacks. 

Self-care is the most important method for a person to reduce the feelings of being overwhelmed or stressed. Some examples Mental Health America indicated were to priotize one’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health is by allowing oneself to create a positive and appreciative mindset. 

Connecting with yourself is the biggest challenge everyone faces, “it is important that one checks with themselves periodically”. If one is feeling low, a method that’s effective is to write down your thoughts in a journal. Taking breaks from reality and writing down one’s thoughts is one of the many great ways to get over feeling low. 

Senior Winnie Ann Masaoy said, “I do skincare and try to incorporate my habits throughout the day like reading and baking”. Any hobby or method that can relax a person’s mind and ease their stress levels should be implemented more throughout their daily routine. 

According to youngminds.org, one should not feel guilty about putting themselves first and above anything else. The pressure young adolescents feel should not guilt-trip them regarding the status of their mental health. Senior Lauren Chang said, “poor mental health can lead to shutting oneself away from other people and not being able to be productive”. For students especially, one should know when they have pushed themselves too far and try to incorporate break times. A poor mental health status for a student can lead to lack of concentration, performance, and anxiety. 

When prioritizing yourself, another sufficient method is meditation. 

Study shows that meditation has several benefits: a better focus in concentration, improvement of self-esteem, and fostering kindness throughout. According to americanbar.org, consistently doing meditation when a person has free time, allows one to be fully relaxed and not be in a constant state of worry. During mediation, your mind is in “another place,” and the stress and anxiety one feels tends to be placed elsewhere. Also, meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and tranquility which is necessary when it comes to young adults and the pressure they are under in the modern day.

There are several methods to improve one’s mental health, simply prioritizing yourself and doing the things that makes you happy should be at the top of your to-do list.